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ROBERT N. EAGLE, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLMBIA,

l Lema Poema. 62,946, dated Mara 1'9, 1867.

turnover Hormis vron Bosses.

To ALL WHOM rr 1i/IAri.;,concernszl Be' it known that'I, ROBERT N. EAGLE, of the city and county of WashingtomDistrict of Columbia, have invented certain .new and useful improvements in Hopples for Horses and other Animals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made part of -this speciication,and which represent my invention as embodiedvin various forms, with a diagram explanatory of the principle upon which the invention is founded. l

The object of my present invention is identicalwith that which was set forth in Letters Patent to me dated April 7, 1863, and numbered 38,100, but the means employed diil'er in details.) In the fern-1er I described terme inals on the coupling, which had a motion upon bars or loops on the leg-bands..` I propose lncrv to employ llexible connecting devices, which may consist of tivo interlooped cords or straps, whose ends are secured to their respective leg-bands at opposite or nearly opposite points to eachother ;`or, in other words, having their extremities applied at each end of `an axis running through the centre of a circle formed by tho leg-bands whenbuckled round the leg', permitting motion uponor across each other to each of the said interlooped connecting devices, equal or nearly equal to the space or spread between their ends, or where they join their respective legbands. The motion by such means is virtually transferredirom any direct relation with the leg-band to the interlooping connections themselves, which latter will so Work or co-opcrate with 'each other as to allow amotion of the animal's leg Without turning or shifting the said bands upon the legs. In this Way the limbs of the animal are `effectively connected, the stride or step regulated, and the passage of the leg backward and forward freely permitted, without the objectionable movement or rotation ofA the lower or main band, A, around or upon the limbs or other 'parts embraced by it. y 4

' The present invention may be thus described: The rope,. strap, chain, or other connection belonging to one or each of a pair of leg-bands, is made-fastat its ends-to said legband, but by'its ownilexibility, together with a provision for a certain degree of play upon oradjustability relatively to its point oiconnection with its other leg-band, said rope', strap, chain, or other coupling is, under the force which is due to the 'arrested motion or retarded steps of the animal, made to act' at two counteracting points upon its leg-band, so that the latter is freed from any tendency to turn upon the leg.` It should be here stated that if the fellow of a leg-band having this novelprovision be not similarly provided for, then it should be furnished with som'e other'means against turning, as hereinafter described.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may beenablcd to fully understand and use the same, I Awill proceed to describe it in connection with the accompanying drawings.

A .A in cach 'ligure represent a pair of leg-bands. The ropeB, (or any equivalent flexible coupling applied in the same Way, such as' a chain or strap,) constitutes the essential feature of the present improvement. The ends oi`.the rope B are applied or permanently attached tothe leg-band A, at a suitable distance. asunder, it being only necessary that when the band-A is in position on the leg, the points of attachment oi`- the rope shall be at opposite sides of avhorizontal line drawn through the centre -of the animals leg at right angles to the line of motion.

In Figure l the leg-bands are m looped so as to slide within or upon each other atevcry step ot' the animal.

In Figure 2 the interloop'ed ropes are shown extended or held in approximate parallelism at the point of connection by a short tube, C. This tube is designed to distribute the friction over increased surface and prevent the contiguous parts of the interlooped ropes from-bighting or retarding reciprocal 'motion or play. This lastmentioned object is also attained by the series 'of rings D, Figure 3, which are also fitted over' the interlooped portions of ropes B. .A single ring, E, may connect the ropes B,'as shown in Figure 4, in which instance the ropes are not interlooped.

In Figure 6 a flexible strap, B, is used, instead of the rope, A by meansiof the buckle Bl, so that the said strap may be taken up or letout to increase or diminish the linu- 'llhe loops at B2 Bl change the points of action of the nt of the strap B. 'lhe strap B of one leg atched in respect .to the means offconnect'ion, the two ropes being interitation of the animals steps, as may be found desirable. straps upon each other under the taking upor letting out adjustme and this strap is adjustable upon its leg-band i band is'connecte'd to the -bar F, vthrough the medium ofaring, G, which has the same eiect as the employment of two ropes, B, to wit, to preventeither leg-band, A, from` turningupon the leg.

In Figure 7 a chain, B, in direct connection with bar F, isrepresented in lieu of the rop'e ahd ring. In

gs. 6 and 7 the action of the strap or chain isthe same as 4that described in connection with the rope B, and

the point of connection' between the strap or chain, with the bar F, shifts itself? upon said bar, so that there can beino tendency to turning on the part ofthe leg-band to which thebar F is applied. The chain in fig. 7 may be connected to-the bar F by a ring, or the strap in Aiig. 6 may have direct connection with the bar F. Thev iiexible connection B maybe used under-various 4other modifications without going beyond the scope of the present invention. 4 A

' The operation of the connecting rope B, whether-one or two be employed in conjunction with a pair of hoppiles, will be readily understood by reference to Figure 8.' The connection between the leg-bands A,.embra.

cing one or more ropes, B, imposes restraint or limits 'the length of'the steps of the animal to which the hop'ples are applied in a degree commensurate with the length ofA such connection B, as the latter arrests the motion of the leg when itis drawn taut or extended to its full degree.` In the diagram, iig. 84the-blach lines at AA B B indicate the relativo position of the leg-bands and their connecting ropes when the feet of the animal are parallel to each other. The rod and bluevlines indicate the change of the position of the leg-bands, and also show the adjustment of thc'connections B B to suit such change in position, which occurs either-when the animal steps its near foot forward orbackward.v Now, by sliding or adjusting 4themselves in or upon one another', thc connectionsB B are each caused ,to act or draw upon lthe leg-bands at their twopoints of attachment, 6, with the same eifect or tension at each point, In, so that the'tcndcncy of one point ofaction, b', to turn the leg-band upon the leg 0f the animal is counterac'ted by the tendency at lthe'other point of attachment, b, to -turn the leg-band in the opposite direction. In this diagram (iig. 8) the line s s may represent the point of intersection of a horizontall line drawn through the middle of the horses leg at right angles to the line of motion of the leg. The lines t t indicate thc points of attachment-of the ropes B B, and the un'changeability offsu'ch points upon the circles representing the animals legs when thelatter are in notion: It' theropes B `B be attached at the points of intersection of the dotted lines ce with the leg-bands A A, then a maximum degree of sliding or adjusting play will be allowed the ropes when in operation. Any required number of connecting loops may be used, and the connectingvdevices which interpose between them, if any are used, may'be varied in character and number. The positionpf" the rope's when the animals feet are abreast of each other is shown in black lines, g. 8, and the forward and backward motions of the near foot are shown in red and blue lines respectively, same figure.

Having described my invention, what I'claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Paten'is-fg i' A hopple in which the leg-bands are connected by loops which slip upon each-other or upon adevice interposed between them, or by a. single loop connected more directly to another leg-band, as in figs. 5 and .6,-sub stantially as described. y

lIlle above specification of my invention signed by me this day of 1867.

R. N. EAGLE.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. ROTHWELL, JAMES L. EWIN. 

